Some of us are old enough to remember Paul Simon’s groove – 50 ways to leave your lover – but in this feature, I challenge you with some ideas gleaned from industry, with 15 ways to enhance your personal safety tools – for pilots, engineers, support staff and, yes, company managers.

The helicopter industry is in “survival mode,” according to some observers, buffeted by depressed oil prices and fatal accidents that have grounded key aircraft in the fleet. The natural expectation of tough economic times is that helicopter operators might shirk on safety measures and productivity could suffer as employees fear a redundancy notice.

The second annual All Canada Aeromedical Transport Safety conference took place Nov. 21 to 23 at the Ornge headquarters in Mississauga, Ont. The event entertained 56 attendees from 21 organizations – a nice uptick from the 37 attendees last year.

Why do some movies end happily, with the appropriate music playing as the credits roll, because only the pilot died? There are so many to choose from where the pilot is introduced, often becoming more than a peripheral character, yet departs early and often gruesomely.

Am I fit to fly? There has been a considerable volume of debate over the past five years or so about Transport Canada’s move towards harmonizing the Canadian regulatory framework with the rest of the world. But what does all this mean to those of us “at the coal face”? What can I and what must I do to stay safe?

For almost seven years, the Helicopter Association of Canada (HAC) and others industry associations have been consulting on the content of Transport Canada’s (TC’s) draft for new fatigue management regulations. And with the exception of input provided by the National Airline Association of Canada (NACC), the proposals and input made by HAC and the various associations have been largely ignored.

One of the themes of this issue is innovation, and for some time I struggled to start, since the rate of advancement in aviation is breathtaking and we risk being replaced by robots in the not too distant future. Then it occurred to me, that innovation isn’t about just technology, or methods, or brilliant marketing schemes – it also applies to policy and to the direction an industry may move.

This issue let’s talk about our maintenance brethren. Often unappreciated, the fact remains that without our AMEs, we would have nothing to fly and no work. So, let’s address the safety side of maintenance in our daily helicopter operations.

Finding solutions to growing the pilot shortage in Canada is one of the most pressing issues facing the Canadian aviation industry – and it’s a challenge that affects all segments, from large commercial operations to northern operators, the military and rotary-wing operators from coast to coast.

Earlier in 2016, I listened to an inspiring interview with David Gregory, the former host of NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that truly informs this column. He was speaking of his time with the show and in the discussion he quoted the Book of Proverbs – “Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be true.”

With some regularity, I am invited to speak to graduating helicopter pilot classes. I take advantage of the opportunity whenever I am able. It gives me a chance to better understand the psyche of the next generation of pilots in our industry – if the psyche of pilots can ever really be understood.

May 8, 2015, Kelowna, B.C. - A Letter of Affiliation between the Air Cadet League of Canada, British Columbia Provincial Committee (BCPC), and British Columbia Aviation Council (BCAC) was signed by representatives of the organizations on April 30. The signing ceremony took place in the Delta Grand Okanagan Resort at 1 pm.

April 17, 2015, Calgary - Finding the perfect career in aviation and aerospace takes passion, flexibility and the ability to capitalize on opportunities – and learning how to “wear your tie” and treat every day in a professional manner goes a long way, too.